


A Snapshot of a Wanderer's Life

by Featherine_Aurora



Series: Gainax/Trigger Stories [9]
Category: FLCL
Genre: Introspection, POV Female Character, Photography, Post-Canon, traveller - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23117485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Featherine_Aurora/pseuds/Featherine_Aurora
Summary: Mamimi, while doing a bit of photography work, thinks about how her life has been since leaving Mabase
Series: Gainax/Trigger Stories [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1546741
Kudos: 7





	A Snapshot of a Wanderer's Life

**Author's Note:**

> A first attempt at handling a character I've never written in a work before often makes me worry about whether I've written them right or not. Well, I hope this will still be a fun read for you all.

The place she had travelled to was pretty remote. There, Mamimi parked her car and stayed in her seat as she took a moment to rest and take in her surroundings. This was something she did often. Travelling from place to place, having a moment to take a breather as she got to a place, was routine to Mamimi. Being often on the move was something that felt right to her.

_At times, I wonder if I’m just running away from stuff. But I think it’s more like I’m keeping myself above water this way. As long as I keep travelling, I’m keeping myself free and able to breathe easy._

Mamimi turned on her car radio, picking a random station with which to fill the car with sound. This sort of thing was a way to let the unfamiliar come to her. Mamimi knew she had had a bad habit of clinging to familiar things or trying to grasp on to anything she could get that resembled the familiar, even slightly. It took a lot for Mamimi to become aware of it and escape it. But staying free of those old impulses always required effort. She always pushed herself to reach out for stuff that was different and avoid the temptation to cling on to things that felt familiar and safe. As far as she could tell, it helped. It was something Mamimi needed to do constantly, yeah, but it worked well enough. 

_It keeps away that old habit. But I still shouldn’t have tried anything from that dodgy fast food vendor just because it was different. That was just stupid. But I guess the memory of vomiting it out should keep me from doing that again for a while._

It did occur to her that she did have a new sort of familiarity that she clung to, that of her routine of travelling and her rootless life. But she was sure it was a lot healthier for her than how she had been in the past.

_Thinking back on how I was, I feel embarrassed. I dated a boy purely because he was related to my ex._

Even now, she didn’t have a partner. It wasn’t something she wanted. In the past, Mamimi had put too much weight on those, on having Takkun and then Naota. She had depended on having that as something to cling on to, however insubstantial it was. Maybe she would try at a relationship again one day, if she found the right person. For now, Mamimi was happy as she was. She did have a red haired cat, called Himiko, which Mamimi took with her on her travels. She liked Mamimi, stayed with her and was a lot less of a chore to deal with than some of her past relationships. Himiko was also cute. Mamimi loved to stroke her furry ears.

_That time Naota had cute fluffy ears was nice. I loved being able to mess with those. Maybe that is what I need in a partner, for them to be fluffy and squishy._

“I probably won’t find that. Good thing that I have you, Himiko”.

Himiko looked at her from the rear passenger seats. Mamimi reached back and petted her. She then took her camera out of the glove compartment and then got out of her car. She took a breath of the cool spring air. Then Mamimi went to the boot of her car and took out a tripod out. For these photos, she wanted to make use of it. Mamimi wanted to get the best photos she could and the tripod would help with that. Plus, she needed some money and had been asked to come here by a tourist board.

_The deadbeats could pay me more for this. But money is money and we both need that to stay alive._

She glanced at Himiko, who was looking at her from the car window.

_You’d better be grateful for my hard work._

Mamimi then looked around, trying to identify the spots that would give her some good tourist card type photos. Getting a decent mix of those would be the key to getting a decent amount of pay, enough for her needs. As her eyes gazed over the scenery around her, the greenery of trees and bushes contrasting against the dull grey road that had brought her to this spot, the light of the sun made her blink. That warm light was enveloping everything and hurt her eyes a bit, like the light of a high end torch. Or the glow of a burning building.

_I’m glad I ditched the arson habit. Well, along with a few other things. But setting things on fire was probably the most important thing to stop._

Still, Mamimi recalled the feeling of watching a building burn. Despite everything and the passage of time, there was a part of her that felt a sense of wonder and awe at the memory. The fire felt like it had a wondrous power, the power to erase everything rotten in this word, to overcome and end anything and perhaps, through that power of total incineration, allow for the birth of something different, or at least an escape from everything that was awful.

Her eyes adjusted to the bright light. Then Mamimi quickly decided on her first target, a nearby stream that was sparkling in the sunlight. After setting up her camera, Mamimi took out a cigarette to relax herself a bit. Yeah, she was still smoking. Mamimi wasn’t going to drop that habit yet.

_Plus, calming my mind helps me get much better photos._

That’s what Mamimi told anyone who asked about her habit and what she told herself when she wondered if she should quit. It probably doesn’t. _But I’m not going to quit. Plus, having some artsy qualities can help draw in people who think that sort of stuff is cool. If that helps me get more work and more chances to keep travelling around, that’s fine with me._

She focused on her camera and on adjusting it to get the best photos of her first target as she could. Mamimi was good at photography, fortunately. _I need to have one thing to be good at, right?_

She laughed at herself deprecatingly. She then continued to adjust her camera. The scene before her was pretty, the stream continuing to sparkle, the greenery of the grass and shrubbery seeming to be especially vibrant under the warm light. Even the rocks and pebbles on its sides seemed to have a warmth to them. Mamimi was entranced by the sight. She felt calm and relaxed, in a way she had rarely felt before she left Mabase. It was a calm she had once felt when watching something burn, the sight of a flame burning something away feeling like some sort of spiritually cleansing force. Now, she could feel that sort of thing when looking at something as ridiculously picturesque as this.

_This is life now, huh? I guess I could have done worse._

Mamimi looked at the view in front of her and, satisfied that it was exactly what she wanted, pushed the button to take her first photo. She then checked the image on her camera, feeling some pride in herself as she inspected her work.

_Yeah, this isn’t that bad at all._


End file.
